Perennial herb, solitary, or suckering to produce a cluster of up to 4 stems. Stems to 10 cm long and up to 4 cm thick. Leaves rosulate or occasionally distichous, erect, grass-like, 30–50 × 2–3.5 cm, linear, expanded to 4–5 cm at the clasping base, tapering gradually to the apex, fleshy, dull green, upper surface without spots, lower surface with a few whitish spots toward the base; margin cartilaginous, with firm white teeth 0.5–1 mm long, 1–4 mm apart near the base, the teeth obsolescent towards the apex. Inflorescences 1–3 from each rosette, simple, erect to c. 50 cm high, or up to 85 cm when protected from fire; peduncle with sterile papery bracts on the upper two-thirds, 1.5–5 cm apart. Raceme 15–20 × 8 cm, cylindric, ± laxly flowered, with overlapping bracts in bud; bracts c. 20 × 11 mm, ovate-acuminate, brown-papery; pedicels c. 3 cm long, elongating to 5 cm in fruit. Perianth salmon-pink, greenish-tipped, c. 35 mm long and 6 mm in diameter across the ovary, cylindric-trigonous, narrowing toward the mouth, base tapering into the pedicel; outer segments free to the base with tips slightly spreading. Stamens and stigma scarcely exserted. Capsule stipitate for 2.5 mm, 3 × 1.3 cm, oblong-ovoid, reddish-brown. Seeds 2.5 × 4.5 mm, blackish-brown with brown wings.
